Halloween Flashback

As most kids do, I LOVED Halloween. I still love Halloween. It's a wonderful time to get dressed up and beg people for candy without getting in trouble! I was a hardcore trick or treater.

Every Halloween I would get dressed up, long before it was time to go trick or treat. I ran around the house in my costume in anticipation of the nights events. As dusk crept closer I would gather my pillow case (because a regular trick or treat bucket wouldn't be nearly big enough) and my grocery sack and headed over to my Aunt Emily's house. Her neighbor hood was always the best place to trick or treat. Everyone decorated and gave out really good candy. It's all about learning the good locations! My mom, dad, sister and I would get to my aunt's house, eat supper and head out! My mom, sister, aunt and I would walk while my dad followed in the car. The car was necessary because after I would fill my grocery back it would start getting too heavy for me to carry. Most kids would stop at that point but not me! I'm hardcore! I would go empty my load into the pillow case and keep going! My candy would last me for an entire year. No joke. An entire year. After I made all my rounds and spent several hours of my evening chanting "trick or treat smell my feet give me something good to eat".
After all the rounds had been made and I simply couldn't go anymore We headed back home where I sorted my candy. All the Snickers went in a pile, all the Jolly Ranchers, Twix, Tootsie Rolls and whatever else I got. I always gave my mom most of my tootsie rolls and my dad some of my Recces Peanut Butter cups and they would also "shop" around in my pile and take what they wanted. I had plenty to share (we were a socialist household when it came to Halloween). I would have a few pieces, then go to bed. Every day after Halloween my mom would put a piece of candy in my lunch box. I never really gorged myself on it, as a matter of fact, I really didn't eat that much of it. It was still fun to go gather the candy and then share it with my family.
Now that I'm older I don't trick or treat but I do go walk with  my cousin, Mollie, and her friends and this year is the first time we are taking my nephew, AJ. I love seeing all the kids costumes. The little princesses, angels, cowboys and cowgirls, ballerinas, bumble bees. It's adorable to see kids so excited just to dress up!

Well, that's my Halloween Southern Soapbox. I hope y'all make lots of fun memories this year!

Flashback Friday: Gone Fishin'

First of all, I would like to point out that I am actually posting this on the day it is supposed to be done on (it's a miracle). Now, on with the story!

I have grown up hearing about all these stories of things that have happened to various family members. All of these stories I would classify as crazy, or at the very least, different. Because these stories are so "different" I have decided the rest of the world should be able to bask in the glory that is my family.

Disclaimer:

It's very possible that people were injured in the making of these stories (which tends to make them that much better). Also, due to the embarrassing nature of some of these stories, names will remain anonymous. All stories are completely factual(ok... well they're retold as heard).

Gone Fishin'

This MIGHT be the actual pond that
served as the fishin' hole
(Mamaw wasn't sure)

This story takes place in the backwoods of Collins, Mississippi sometime in the 1930's. It was a time when daddy's raised calves, pigs and chickens and mama's made your clothes and your supper. You lived off the land, for the most part. You relied on your siblings for entertainment, and in this case, they helped you come up with a solution when you had a problem.

My mamaw and her brother were out in their backyard (and by backyard I mean the 90+ acres that they lived on) fishin'. They had been out there for a time and weren't gettin' any bites. They began to doubt that there were actually fish in that pond. Mamaw looked at her brother, and they conjured up a plan. They needed to know if there were any fish in the fishin' hole, and fishin' just wasn't workin' fast enough. They went up to the house, grabbed a stick of dynamite from the back shed (what? don't you have explosives just layin' around in your backyard? Actually, my great grandpa used it to blow stumps out of the ground when he was clearin' land.) and went to work. Yes, the plan was to blow the water out of the pond to see the fish. Clearly they hadn't thought this through, but if they had I wouldn't have a story to tell y'all (actually, they probably would have done it regardless). Mamaw, her brother and their dog all headed back to their fishin' hole to see the fish. The fuse was lit, the stick was hurled and Mamaw and her brother lit out for cover. The poor dog was left behind. And the pond blew. The terrible twosome emerged from their hidin' place to see water fallin' from the trees, no fish, and the dog layin' on it's side. We will never know if there were fish in that fishin' hole, which is now a little bit deeper. In case you were wonderin', the dog was fine. He just fainted.

This story has been told to me by my mother, who heard it from Mamaw. I tried to call Mamaw so she could retell me the story but apparently the 83 year old has more of a life than I do since she didn't answer her phone (she's probably out fishin'... don't worry she doesn't have any dynamite). Family- let me know if you have any stories you want told!

If you missed last weeks Flashback Friday: Cowboys and "bad guys" there it is! Check it out!

Well, that's my Southern Soapbox! I hope this made you laugh!

Flashback Friday: Cowboys and "bad guys"

I wasn't able to do this yesterday so I'm doing it today, but this will become a recurring "segment" on Fridays! I'm REALLY excited about this!!!

I have grown up hearing about all these stories of things that have happened to various family members. All of these stories I would classify as crazy, or at the very least, different. Because these stories are so "different" I have decided the rest of the world should be able to bask in the glory that is my family.

Disclaimer:

It's very possible that people were injured in the making of these stories (which tends to make them that much better). Also, due to the embarrassing nature of some of these stories, names will remain anonymous. All stories are completely factual.

I took this picture in Collins, Mississippi in my
Mamaw's front yard.

Cowboys and "bad guys"

Let me set the stage for you a little bit. This story takes place in south Mississippi in a place where the wildlife easily out numbers the people 10 to 1. There were no play dates or nights out on the town. It was simply you, your family and the things you had on the land around you. In Hot Coffee, Mississippi kids played with their siblings and they got creative with their entertainment. And that has provided me with LOTS of entertaining stories to pass on to y'all!

Back in the day, when my mama was about three or four years old it was very common to walk out onto the front yard and see children playin'. My mom's brother always played the sheriff, while Mom played the loyal deputy! I don't know if this is relevant but, they were shirtless lawmen. Usually it was just my mom and her brother but on this particular day their cousin came a callin', so he joined in on the fun. He was given the unfortunate title as "bad guy". After much hootin' and hollerin' (because that's what you do when you play Cowboys and Bad Guys in south Mississippi) the Sheriff and Deputy caught their man and took him at gun point. They were toy guns, not cap guns because Mamaw couldn't stand the smell of a cap gun. He'd done wrong and justice must be served! Like so many children in the south, my mom and her brother grew up watching Roy Rogers and The Lone Ranger, which means there's only one way to make "thangs right". He had to hang. So the Sheriff got the rope and they tied it up in a tree in the front yard. The bad guy climbed up the tree (to his own hangin'), the noose was tightened and the sheriff and deputy shoved their cousin AKA "bad guy" off the tree and he hung. Mamaw heard the racket and cut him down from the tree while the lawmen stood and watched. Needless to say, he didn't come back to play Cowboys and bad guys. 

Don't worry, the cousin is still alive. He just may be a bit skittish around trees and rope.

This story is brought to you from the mind of my mother (the deputy) and the fingers of me! If any of my family members read this and have a story you want retold let me know! The only criteria is that it is at least some what humorous.

Well, that's my Southern Soapbox! Thank y'all for reading!